[adsensea]It is my Birthday today and god, I hate to say this, but I feel I’m crossing a threshold. I’m turning 29. It’s huge, because you see, I thought I’d die from stress, before I turn 30. Not that I was imagining a tormented future the likes of Amy Winehouse’s… But before I met Monsieur (The One), I was incredibly stressed out. I could eat 8 cereal bars each day until I turned 18 (along with four normal meals a day, breakkie, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner) I cost a fortune in food to my parents and I never put on weight (those were the days!)… to the point I was thrice a year, tested for an invisible worm (turned out I never had any)

Today, I’m still experiencing stress, but thanks to my gift (an unlimited massage voucher from Monsieur!) from 2 years ago, I’m as fine as one can be, breathing in and out, and once we’re back home, changing to comfie clothes (not PJ but close…) Monsieur announces we need to go shop for dinner and I have to acknowledge that there isn’t much in our fridge. I reluctantly get up and we head to Woolies… But for some reason, Monsieur wants to walk further… and turns left. Here’s my surprise dinner!!!!!

Blancharu 7 course degustation menu – I’m a lucky woman!

What a surprise booking! Monsieur still has his shirt and work clothes on, I look like I do not fit the place at all but it doesn’t matter, for it’s my birthday (YEAH!) After a short time debating, we settled for the 7 course menu because I’m tempted by the scampi course and the wagyu too. This means we’re giving up the quail (sigh!) Guess we will have to come back eh!

Loved the bread with onions, but it was definitely best warm than cold, so I wouldn’t advise taking two of them straight away. The waitress recirculates with the bread and they’re quick at spotting whether you need an extra piece of bread!

Tikuzen, aside from sounding exotic, is a little village in Japan according to our waitress. I do not know how this will translate from a food perspective, but am definitely surprised by the looks!!

Blancharu 7 course degustation menu – Chicken terrine, Tikuzen style

The matching veg (seaweed and mushrooms) go well with the chicken terrine aesthetically speaking, but I much prefer the taste of the terrine on its own. It is the exact replica of the Macanese flavours of dried meat. Spices for spices, marinade for marinade, Monsieur and I totally agree that this dish tastes the same as having dried pork in Macau.

Macau’s dried meat – a lovely flavour AQIS won’t let me have back home in Oz!

Because the flavours of Tikuzen are closely related to that of Macau’s dried meat, the dish is depleted of its fine dining factor. That said, I’m a huge fan of Macau’s dried meat (we packed 3 kilos to take back home to France this summer, even my in laws had some of it!) so all-in, I’d certainly order that terrine once more!

The pumpkin soup is velvety, thick, smoothy like and I like its sweetness… but a hint of salt would have added a nice balance to the soup. I liked the gnocchi at the bottom of the cup, but compared with the complex flavours in the first two dishes, I’m left wanting a bit more complexity for that one! Fancier gnocchi may be? The taste is very homely, and had the weather been colder that day (30°C, it was so hot!) that dish would have been formidable!

Oh the foie gras sushi! It’s good, but if anything, a tad too lean, I had foie gras sushi in HK, and the rice was flavoured with the fatness of the foie gras. One of those was enough to make you feel you were full! I could have done with one more foie gras sushi here (but it’s degustation hehe!)

The truffle sauce replaces the leaking fatness of foie gras I was used to and it’s good!! There’s a piece of seaweed on top that has quite a neutral taste but brings a chewiness that is texturally pleasant!

This is my second favourite course of the evening, the seafood is fresh and delicate, the scampi tastes so nice and the scallop is cooked to perfection (seared but chargrilled as you can see). The couscous has a coconut milk flavour and the whole dish reminds me of holidays in the islands… Must have!

I normally love wagyu, and have to say that the flavours of the dish were extremely pleasant. The Ponzu dressing is really good. That said, the vegetables would have gained in complexity had they been chargrilled. My wagyu wasn’t as tender as I hoped, but I loved the fact it wasn’t cooked the whole way through (Love red meat)

I remember having read reviews that stressed disappointment on Blancharu’s desserts and I think the chef has changed its menu since, because this is one of the best fine dining dessert I’ve had in Sydney. The ginger is hot, the lime sorbet cold; the meringue is smooth and sweet and pairs well with the sourness provided by the sorbet. The baba is soaked in ginger syrup and that definitely adds something quite exotic to the wholeness of the dessert. As for the crunchiness, the addition of toasted almonds is spot on! This is one of my favourite for tonight!!! I really loved that dessert!

The baba/meringue/sorbet ratio is perfect for me (I love italian meringue). Have to say I was afraid I’d have a ridiculous marshmallow sized meringue but felt reassured as soon as they brought the dessert over

Blancharu 7 course degustation menu – The Bill!

Our bill comes down slightly under 200 AUD, (88 AUD for the 7 course degustation is fairly good value!!) as we got one glass of wine (too hot to drink more on that day) and one sparkling water.

You may already have discovered this, but you can buy Bak Kwa (the BBQ sheets of meat you discovered in Macau) here in Sydney too. I think the place is called ‘Singapore Famous BBQ Pork’. It’s at 8 Quay Street Haymarket in Chinatown, in the TGI Prince Centre on the corner of Thomas Street. They’re open from 9-6pm everyday except Wednesday. Well worth the visit!